TH±J BEE-KEEPERS' RKVIEW. 



335 



The editor of Gleanings replies as fol- 

 lows : 



[For the percolatincr feeders on the hive, 

 it is immaterial whether cheese-cloth, old 

 flannel or new flannel be used. We get good 

 results with all of them : but it does make a 

 big difference, when percolating syrup by 

 the B. Taylor plan, described in Gleanings 

 recently (p. 803). As there explained, old 

 flannel is decidedly better than new. 



Regarding the crocks, we found th t they 

 were better than inverted sap-pails, because 

 of the very fact that their (the crooks') tops 

 would be more or less irregular, while the 

 pails would fit so closely as to make the feed- 

 ing very slow. We got better results by dis- 

 carding even the plates, and using boards ; 

 and if they are warped a little, all the better. 

 On these the pails would give as good results 

 as the crocks. 



Yes, the sugar did adhere to the bottom of 

 the crocks ; but shaking, or, rather, a good 

 thorough stirring, did not seem to prevent 

 the slight residue of sugar entirely, although 

 it tended greatly to reduce the amount. 



Some have asked what was the principle 

 upon which the percolating feeders work. I 

 think you have given the philosophy of it, so 

 that every one miy understand it ; but it 

 may be well to add, that the percolators work 

 on the atmospheric principle. In that re- 

 spect they are similar to the Hains and E. 

 France, or what is sometimes called, incor- 

 rectly, the Hill feeder.— Ed.]" 



A Condensed View of Current 



Bee Writings. 



E. E. HASTY. 



m OPOLOBAMPO. A place located in the 

 T" romance land of Jules Verfie, or Rider 

 Haggard ? No, its on terra firma all correct. 

 An American colony where all the mistakes 

 which government and civilization (and per- 

 haps religion also) have made are to be cor- 

 rected. Place where bees may get some 

 honey any day in the year, and surplus for 

 nine months. Place where honey sells read- 

 ily at 25 cts. for extracted and 30 or 40 for 

 comb. Place where 7 colonies increase to 37 

 in one season and store surplus too. Let's 

 all of us pigs rush into the Topolo bampo 

 parlor, and see what a nice parlor we can 

 make of it. Only 200 miles from Uncle 

 Sam's south line, on the east shore of the 

 Gulf of California. See Gleanings, 842, as 

 related by W. F. Bragg (of ominous name.) 

 One head, even if a good one, seldom 

 thinks of all the aspects of a question. It 

 seemed as if Mr. Hutchinson was unanswer- 

 able when he condemned long essays on bee- 



keeping in foreign lands at a national con- 

 vention. (American Bee Journal, 5C>1.) The 

 net time at a convention may cost a fellow 

 several dollars an hour ; and he objects to 

 paying it for what he could just as well read 

 at the home fireside. But president Abbott, 

 in G eanings, 896, gets back at him to the ef- 

 fect that those same essays doubled the 

 space which the daily papers gave to the con- 

 vention. To impress and enlighten the gen- 

 eral public is doubtless o)te legitimate object 

 of a national convention. Newspaper repor- 

 ters generally don't know enough of bses to 

 report off-hand proceedings properly ; and 

 they can dish up a well written essay, with 

 the copy before them. 



Well, " the blood of the martyrs is the seed 

 of the church ;" but can we depend on 

 martyrs to voluntarily assemble and be 

 martyred ? Might need an officer to fetch 

 'em to the block. The fact seems to be that 

 the main object of assembling is to put peo- 

 ple into a proper condition of mind and feel- 

 ing to be taught and benefitted. Man is apt 

 to meet instruction as a cabbage leaf meets 

 rain— shed it all off. But when people meet 

 together for a definite good purpose, when 

 the gathering is properly engineered, and 

 things work just right, a curious and indefin- 

 able something comes down and takes pos- 

 session of all hearts. Folks are different 

 creatures then. Enthusiasm and open-mind- 

 edness make everything good strike in. It 

 is in hope of this influence (which cannot be 

 transferred to print, nor sent by mail) that 

 conventions are held; I take it. Now this 

 desirable afJiatus may be prevented, or after 

 it has sprung up may be deadened, by the 

 wrong kind of essays, or by formal speeches, 

 or by a quarrel, or even by excessive popgun 

 practice at stale jokes. Whatever the wet 

 blanket is it is an awful nuisance. But this 

 reviewer thinks that the right kind of essays 

 properly used may help instead of hinder. 

 The main thing is to have the right man in 

 the chair ; and not to have his hands tied by 

 too many iron rules, and too rigid a program. 

 With good leadership no program at all is 

 better than an iron-clad one. 



NEBRASKA BEE-KEEPER. 



Brother Stilson has been getting very full 

 of national convention ; and the idea that 

 any brother should think slightingly of the 

 affair almost riles him up — 



"Some good friend suggests that it was a meet- 

 ing of the ' mutual admiratien society.' Well, 

 why shouldn't it be ? as there were some grand 



